Local News

7:35 am

Thu October 31, 2013

Obama Stresses Bipartisanship, Patience At Faneuil Speech

President Obama touted the Affordable Care Act to hundreds of supporters at Faneuil Hall in Boston on Oct. 30.

Credit Meredith Nierman / WGBH

Listen

Listening...

/

1:32

While his Health and Human Services Secretary was being grilled by Congress, President Obama touted the Affordable Care Act to hundreds of supporters at Faneuil Hall in Boston yesterday.

Not surprisingly, President Obama started his address with a shout out to the Red Sox.

"I tried to grow a beard, but Michelle, she wasn’t having it," he said to the crowd. Then soon got to the point. Obama, who did not attend last night’s game, came to Boston for its symbolism.

"This is the hall where seven years ago democrats and republicans came together to make health reform a reality for the people of Massachusetts," he said.

Bipartisanship, or lack there-of, was the main theme of his remarks. He applauded Republican governors who were working to expand Medicaid in their states, but said some governors are so locked into the politics that they quote “won’t lift a finger to help their own people."

"If they put as much energy into making this law work, as they do in attacking the law, Americans would be better off," he said.

The president admitted that the health insurance marketplace website is too slow, and he took personal responsibility for resolving the computer problems that have plagued it. He also addressed what he called “the latest flurry in the news” – that millions of Americans are receiving cancelation notices for their current healthcare policies.

"So if you are getting one of these letters, just shop around in the new marketplace, because that’s what its for," he said.

The president said eventually the easiest place to shop for new health insurance will be on the website, once the glitches are fixed.